Like I'm Invisible
by shine4u
Summary: This is aout Derek's relationship with Kendra, and how she treats him like crap and he leaver her for Casey. Dasey, Lizwin, and a little Demily later. songfic i don't own characters or songs
1. Chapter 1

I do not own LWD or the song 

At age 25 Derek Venturi had it all. His band D-Rock was blowing up the charts, everywhere he went he was recognized, and he was in a long-standing relationship with Kendra. So why was he so unhappy?

He and Kendra had been dating for eight years and she had started to change. She had become more self-centered, and started treating Derek like crap. Lately she had started inviting all of her Cheerleader friends over daily, and when they would come over she would tell him to go on some errand or ignore him completely. He was constantly broke from "lending" her money to pay all of her bills, and from all of the shopping spree's she would take with his credit card.

It was a Tuesday when Derek decided to go shopping for new clothes. As soon as he got off of work he picked up his cell and called Kendra. 'Ring…Ring…Ri- "Hey this is Kendra-"'

"Hey Ken, its Derek-" he started but stopped suddenly as the message continued. ' " I'm not at my phone right now so leave a message"'. He hung up the phone not wanting to leave a message, and then called Edwin.

"Hey bro what's up?" Edwin's voice had matured over the years. It was no longer squeaky but deep and smooth.

"You wanna go to the mall?" Derek asked.

"When? Today?" he asked sounding disappointed.

"Yeah today. Can you come?"

"Sorry, me and Liz are going on a date… but Casey's not doing anything. I'm at her house right now. Hold on I'll ask her." Derek had to hold the phone away from his ear when he heard Edwin yell "CASEY!!!!!!!!!! DEREK WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU WANNA GO SHOPPING!!!" 'Did he have to yell into the phone?' Derek thought while wincing. "She said she'd go. Meet her at the mall in fifteen minutes."

"Thanks Ed."

"No problem"

"And Ed… have fun tonight." He hung up the phone. This was going to be interesting, he hadn't seen Casey ever since she decided to go to college instead of tour with D-Rock. They had spoken on the phone a few weeks back. She was doing okay, she had broken up with her boyfriend Dennis, but she didn't seem that upset about it, and she was working at the bank. He had told her everything about how his life was going- well everything except for his relationship with Kendra. He didn't think she'd want to know about Kendra.

An hour after they met up, Derek found himself in a store full of dresses. "Casey come on. You've tried on like 100 dresses already. Pick one! I'm hungry."

"C'mon Derek I've only tried on ten." She said to her defense. As she exited the dressing room in her street clothes, she held all ten dresses. "See?"

"You're not buying all of those are you?" he asked while pointing to the mountain of dresses in her hands.

"Of course not." She said giggling.

"So which one are you buying?" he asked. Maybe it was going to be the red one on top, that one was cute.

"None." She said while putting them away. At the sight of Derek's jaw dropping she quickly added, "I didn't like the way they fit."

"None of them? We just spent 45 minutes in here and you're not going to buy anything?" he asked in disbelief. "Whatever I'm hungry. Can we please go to the food court?"

On the way to the food court Derek and Casey saw Kendra walking towards them with her friends and close to twenty shopping bags in their hands. "Hey babe!" Derek said, and then he and Casey watched as Kendra, her friends, and the shopping bags walked right past them without saying anything. He stood there looking shocked and then he called her name four times. When she still didn't turn around he gave up.

"Derek… is everything okay between you and Kendra?" immediately after she said it she felt stupid. Of course everything wasn't okay he practically yelled her name down the hall and she didn't even turn around.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He lied, and he knew she knew he was lying. He couldn't even convince himself.

"Derek! You said 'hi' to her and she just walked by you like you were… like you were…"

"Invisible" he offered. "Yeah, it's been like that for a while."

"Oh, that's horrible." She gasped "why would she do that?"

"I don't know," he said sadly.

"Well I'm here if you ever wanna talk." She said. He was glad he knew he could always count on her.

They ate in silence and when they were done they went home. When Derek got to the apartment that he shared with Kendra, she was already there with her friends. "-turi is such a looser." She stopped talking for a second when she heard the door close. Then she noticed Derek and continued. "You see, he's so pathetic. He just stands there like a lost puppy."

_You talk about me as if I'm not there_

_You don't even whisper cuz you just don't care_

"You know he's standing right there right?" asked Stacy. She had seen Derek walk in and was wondering why he didn't say anything.

"He doesn't care! Watch this," Kendra said to the girls. "Derek!" she barked. "go into the kitchen, and get us some drinks." She watched him stand there in silence, then added "Now!" sarcastically.

_I stand there and listen to my life go by_

_And at times I wonder why I even try_

"Soda… right." He faltered as he went into the kitchen. 'What's wrong with me?' he wondered. 'Its like I've lost all of my confidence, like I'm suddenly insecure around her.' He grabbed five sodas and went back into the living room.

_Well I try because I like to finish what I start_

_And I have faith it can get better tomorrow_

" Here you go." He said as he gave each of the four girls a soda and sat down with his. When he sat down next to Kendra, she looked annoyed.

"You see how well I've got him trained?" she asked her friends. "Now go away." Derek looked hurt, but left anyway.

_But it won't if you keep treating me_

_Like I'm invisible_

He had had enough. He heard the girls laughing at him as he left and decided to take a drive. He wasn't paying attention to where he was driving. He was just driving away from Kendra. By the time he stopped in front of a yellow house with a maple tree in the front yard, he had made up his mind about what he was going to do. He walked up the pathway to the house he hadn't been to in at least five years. He rang the doorbell and she came to the door. "Well, well, well…" she said. "Derek Venturi; twice in one day. What happened? I just saw you an hour ago."

"No time for that Case. I was wondering… do you still have my suitcase?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why do you need it?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later, I need to borrow it." He said at she lead him into her home. It hadn't changed much in the last five years. There were a few new pictures on the walls but other than that, everything was as neat as he had remembered. He picked up his cell and called Kendra. 'Ring'

_Say that you won't treat me_

_The way you're treating me_

'Ring…Ring…'

_Say that you won't_

"What do you want?" was the greeting he got when she picked up the phone. Derek suddenly remembered how she had treated him at the mall. She just walked right by him without saying anything.

_I see you but you just keep looking right through me_

Like someone you don't even see

'Why do I want to be in a relationship with this woman?' he thought.

_Like I'm invisible_

' I don't even think she wants me anymore' he thought bitterly as he stood there with the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" she asked. "are you still there? Cuz your not saying anything."

"Oh…uh I'm coming back." He told her.

"Well you can't. My friends are still here." She said demandingly"

"Well I am. So drop it."

When he got back to the apartment with the suitcase, he heard her talking about him. "He is such a hopeless looser. And he's so pathetic that no other girl would go out with him. Honestly I don't know why I'm with him… I can do so much better."

_You brag to your friends how much I must want ya_

_You said I was someone you could do with or without_

"Well if you're so convinced that you can do better… then why don't you leave?" Stacy asked.

"Because he'd never leave and he's paying my bills. It just wouldn't feel right." She turned around and noticed Derek with the suitcase. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Leaving."

_You're so confident that I'd never leave you_

_No wonder you're surprised that I am walking out_

"What?!?!" she asked in disbelief. He ignored her and started to walk to their room. He placed the suitcase on the bed and began to empty his drawers.

_Well, I have to leave no matter how sad it might be_

_Because this hurt's become my reality_

_And I won't let you keep on treating me_

_Like I'm invisible_

"You can't leave me baby." She pleaded. He turned around to look at her for a second. Thinking weather or not to respond.

_Say that you won't treat me_

_The way you're treating me_

_Say that you won't_

He threw on his trademark smirk, continued packing then turned back to her and said "Watch me."

"You can't leave me I need you." She confessed. She hoped that he would change his mind. But then she saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time; determination.

"Oh, you need me? What about all that stuff you were saying about how you could do better?" he spat with venom. He was leaving. He had made his mind up, and nothing she said would change it.

"I…I didn't mean it."

"Kendra," he said as he closed his suitcase and moved to leave. "find better." He walked thru the living room, looking at all the girls staring at the two of them. He walked out the door without saying good bye and got into his car.

_I see you but you just keep looking right through me_

_Like someone you don't even see_

_Like I'm invisible_

He drove back to Casey's house. On his way, he called her to tell her that he left Kendra and would need a place to stay for a while. "You can always go back to mom and George's." she joked.

"No. No I am determined to live on my own." He said defensively over the phone. "So, I need a place to stay and I was wondering… can I stay with you?" he asked.

"Of course you can, you know I was just joking. But you can't hog my bathroom or eat all the food in my refrigerator."

"Deal" he said. "I'll be there in five minutes."

"And you can only stay for a little while cuz I don't have that much space."

_Well I finally got the nerve to move on_

_Cuz a fly kind of guy like me_

_Surely deserves more, much more_

A year later Casey and Derek were dating. She was still in college and he was still in D-Rock but they made time to see each other in the summer and during breaks. Casey was still a control freak, but he didn't mind as much as he used to.

_My new love can see what's inside of me_

_And she told me to thank you_

_For the good love that you blew, and oh_

One day they were shopping at the mall when they saw Kendra and her friends. She walked up to him and started to talk. "Uh, you know what. I think I'll leave you two alone for a while." Casey said as she went into a dress store.

"Okay, but don't stay too long." He whispered into her ear. He turned back to Kendra who looked disgusted.

"You can't really like her." She said.

_I wish you could see the way she looks at me_

_She don't keep me insecure or treat me lovelessly_

_She don't hide me from her friends_

_When we have company_

"What do you want Kendra?" he asked not really interested in the answer.

"To get back with you. And I know you wanna get back with me, I mean LOOK at me." And as she said that he thought of all the bad times he had with her. How she always made him feel insecure.

"Why would I want to get back with you? I love Casey and all you ever did was treat me like crap. You made me feel like I didn't even exist"

_And she never ever makes me feel_

_Like I'm invisible_

"Okay, so maybe I wasn't as nice as I could have been…" she paused when she heard him snort. "But wasn't the sex good?" she asked seductively.

Derek couldn't believe that this was her defense. " 'Wasn't the sex good?'" he mocked. "What? Do you mean when you would throw me out of the room right after we did it? You know what, you don't really want me so why don't you and your friends go buy stuff."

_And after we lay here, she wants me to stay here_

_I'm not just for making love then expected to leave_

_I'm not only someone used for helping her ends meet_

_And she'd never ever walk on by me_

_Like I'm invisible_

He walked into the dress store and found Casey. She didn't have anything in her hands and he was wondering if she really was in here to shop or spy on him. Whatever the reason, he didn't care. "C'mon, lets go" he said once he found her. "I'm hungry, you hungry?"

"Yeah, lets go."

As they headed towards the food court, they passed Kendra who had still not moved. They passed her and Derek did not turn around when she yelled his name.

_Like I'm invisible_


	2. Chapter 2

It had been almost a year since Kendra and Derek had agreed to take a brake. Well that was the story she told her friends anyway. She would never accept the fact that Derek left her. Let alone that one detail that he left her for Casey. _'I am such a better choice than Casey'_ she thought bitterly as she went down the stairs to her sister's mailbox. Since Derek was no longer around to pay the bills she had lost her apartment and was forced to move in with her sister and her husband. _'What does Casey have that I don't?'_ she thought as she pulled out the mail and started to absently flip thru it. _'Lets see… she has a house, car, she doesn't live with her family…and she has Derek.'_ She kept flipping thru the mail until she saw something addressed to her. It was a red party invitation with confetti plastered all over the sheet. She opened up the letter and it read:

**YOU'RE INVITED!!!!**

**WHAT: WELCOME BACK PARTY**

**FOR WHO: D-ROCK**

**WHEN: NEXT SATURDAY**

**TIME: 6-12**

**ATTIRE: FORMAL**

**PLEASE RSVP A.S.A.P.**

Kendra couldn't believe it. D-Rock was finally back in town. This could be her one chance to get Derek back from Casey. She looked down at the invitation again and noticed that she had to dress formally. "Now I have an excuse to go shopping!" she said out loud as she ran up the stairs and got dressed. It didn't take her long and soon she was in a dress and black heels. She picked up the invite again and saw the RSVP number and began to call it. The phone rang twice before someone picked it up. "Hello, this is Kendra and I would like to RSVP for the party."

"Kendra… Wow, it's Max. It's been a long time hasn't it?"

"Hi Max, yeah it has. How have you been?"

"I've been fine, what about you? You still go out with Derek?"

"No. We decided to separate. Are you in town cuz I was about to go shopping, do you want to hang out?"

"Sure why not. Where can I meet you?" Kendra told him where he could pick her up from and Max said he would be there within five minutes.

When Max got there, they spent half an hour catching up on each-others lives. It turns out that Max went back to the High School to teach football. Kendra told him about joining a college Cheer team and moving in with her sister. He asked about Derek a few times but she would always avoid the subject. When they finally got to the mall Kendra took Max to the dress store and began picking out outfits to wear for Saturday. They were there for three hours and Max was beginning to get a headache from all of the different colors. He was glad when she finally settled for a short black sleeveless dress that was backless.

"Are you finished?" he asked as she was in line to pay for it.

"Yeah, and I have the perfect shoes to go with this dress." Max gave a slight sigh of relief because he didn't think he could handle a five-hour search for shoes. The ride back to Kendra's sisters house was unusually quiet. Max had known Kendra since they were in middle school and she _never_ was quiet.

"_She's probably thinking about seeing Derek next week. I wonder if she'll be ok? She didn't mention anything about talking to Derek since they separated." _Max thought as he let the silence continue. He was glad when they finally reached Kendra's place, it was starting to become uncomfortable in the car. "Well, I'll see you on Saturday." Max said as he smiled and waved bye to her.

As soon as she got out of the car she turned around and smiled at him. Then she asked "Max… do you have a date to the party?"

"Uh, no" max said slowly. He had a feeling he knew where she was going with this.

"Do you want to be mine?" she asked hopefully. She didn't want to go alone, that would be the worst thing ever. Going there without a date and then having to see Derek all lovey-dovey with Casey.

"Sure, why not!" Max said as he started to drive off.

The week before the party went by annoyingly fast. Kendra felt like she had just asked Max to be her date for this thing five minutes ago and it was here already. Kendra was pacing back and forth in her black dress. Her sister was worried that she would make a path in the carpet if she kept this up. Thankfully the doorbell rang five minutes latter. She stopped pacing and ran over to the door.

"Sorry I'm late," Max, said shyly. "Were you waiting long?"

"No, I didn't even notice. It's only been what ten minutes?" she said. If she had turned around she would have seen her sister rolling her eyes and looking at the ceiling exasperatedly. "Lets go! See you latter Kayla" she called to her sister as they left the house.

It felt like only seconds had gone by, but somehow Kendra had found herself at the party with Max. At the door she had said 'hi' to a few of the people she remembered from high school. But she wasn't really paying attention to anyone in particular. She was looking for Derek.

"I heard the band's not playing until latter. Do you want to dance?" Max asked as he held his hand out. Kendra took it reluctantly. They started dancing to "Slow Jam" and Kendra was starting to enjoy herself a little. That is until the song was cut off and Sheldon got on the mike.

"LADIES AND GENTELMAN!! PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR D-ROCK!!! WELCOLM BACK GUYS!" the crowd erupted with cheers. The spotlight went to center stage and right there, in front of her face was Derek.

"Do you want to move closer?" Max asked.

"Uh…no I'm f-" she was interrupted by a new voice on the mike.

"THAT'S RIGHT GUYS!" Derek yelled into the mike. "WE'RE BACK AND WE ARE READY TO ROCK CANADA!!!" at this the crowd screamed even louder. But Kendra wasn't paying attention. She had zoned out.

_When I heard that familiar voice_

_My heart stopped dead in its tracks_

She was staring a Derek intently, noticing that he and Casey were holding hands, and had been ever since they had walked out on stage together. Derek had waited until the crowed calmed down before he decided to speak again. "We're gonna be performing latter tonight, so until then ROCK ON!" he yelled as he left the stage.

_Across the room I could see him there_

_A ghost from my past_

Derek had moved over to the snack table. _'Good he's alone, now I can talk to him'_ she thought. She turned to Max and told him she was going to get them some drinks. She walked over to the table briskly. _'Okay Ken, you're gonna be calm, cool, and collected. You're not going to let him know that you can't stop thinking about him. You can do this!'_ once she got there, she noticed that he had stuffed his plate with bacon. She went over to the punch bowl pretending she hadn't seen him. "H-"

"Derek! You shouldn't eat all that Bacon. It's sooo unhealthy" Casey scolded as she linked her arm with his.

_But he's too caught up to notice me _

_She must be his new love_

_I never dreamed that it would hurt this much _

_It's just_

"HI DEREK!" Kendra shouted. Derek and Casey both looked startled and turned around.

"Oh, Kendra! I didn't see you there. How've you been?"

'_Yeah, you didn't see me 'cuz you were so caught up with Casey' _she thought bitterly before she responded. "Me! I've been great. Couldn't be better. I have my own place and everything. And I have a new boyfriend." She lied.

"I…I think I'll leave you two alone so you can catch up." Casey said as she backed away from the table. As she looked around the room she noticed someone she hadn't seen in such a long time. "Oh my gosh! Is that Max! Oh Derek, I'm going to go say 'hi'"

"O…ok" Derek stammered. He didn't like the feeling that he was going to be left alone with Kendra. "Wait, Case. Before you go… I wanna give you something."

"Ok, what is it?" she asked slowly, even though she had a good idea what it was.

"Come here" he said softly. She did and as soon as she was close enough, he kissed her passionately.

_I know how he feels_

_How warm his touch is_

_Oh how he feels_

_How soft his kiss is _

_And it cuts right down to the bone _

_'Cause I let him go_

_I know how he cares_

_How strong his love can be_

_When he believes it's real _

_Oh I've been there _

_And I know how he feels_

'_That used to be me' _Kendra thought bitterly as she turned her head. As soon as they broke apart Derek said "Don't stay away too long." Casey waved as she went over to talk to Max. "So, it's god to hear that you're doing well." Derek said after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Yeah, I live in my own house and everything" she said trying to sound confident, but fearing he could see through her lie. She was annoyed to find that he wasn't paying that much attention to her. He was actually looking around the room and not at her.

"Well, it was nice talking to you…but I see my little brother and I want to go say hi. I haven't seen him in like a year and a half. So I guess I'll see you latter." He said as he went over to the door where his little brother and stepsister were.

"_I don't believe this. He completely ignored me! Then he just blew me off for his little brother. Ugh, and the way he kissed her. He knew what he was doing. I can't believe Derek is such a jerk!"_ she thought as she watched him talk to his siblings for a few minutes, and then went over to where Casey and Max were, and started dancing with her.

_As long as I kept him outta sight_

_I kept from going out of my mind_

_Tried to believe that leavin' him _

_Was somehow justified_

_But tonight there's no denying_

_What a love like his is worth_

_He once looked at me _

_The way he's looking at her_

_What a lucky girl_

An hour had passed before D-Rock had gotten up to perform. And once they were on stage, everyone started screaming again. All the screaming was giving Kendra a headache but she was too upset to notice. She saw Sheldon get back on stage with the mike. "And now, to perform their number one hit… D-ROCK!!!"

Once Kendra saw Casey grab the mike, she started to feel sick. "We said it was over, but I never wanted it to end…" Casey started as the rest of the band began to kick in. once the song was over, people started to scream again. Then Derek grabbed the mike. Kendra had picked up a cup of punch, which was filled to the brim and started drinking.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Derek said over the crowd. To Kendra's surprise everyone became quiet. "I…I have an announcement to make." He turned to face Casey; he was fidgeting with his jacket pocket. "Casey McDonald… I have been in love with you since the first day I met you. I tried…so hard to ignore the feelings but I couldn't. Now I know we've only been dating for a year…But I know I want to spent the rest of my life with you…" Derek dropped to one knee, and pulled a small box out of his pocket. Kendra looked at Casey in horror. She was shaking from head to toe and had her hand over her mouth. There were tears in her eyes. "Will you…" he swallowed hard. "Will you marry me?"

As soon as he proposed, Kendra spilled the punch all over her dress. "YES!!! Yes I will." Casey yelled as she threw her arms around Derek. Everyone in the room clapped and cheered. Kendra ran out into the hallway, towards the bathroom.

_I know how he feels_

_How warm his touch is_

_Oh how he feels_

_How soft his kiss is _

_And it cuts right down to the bone _

_'Cause I let him go_

_I know how he cares_

_How strong his love can be_

_When he believes it's real _

_Oh I've been there _

_And I know how he feels_

And it's killin' me

Oh I know how he feels


	3. Chapter 3

I got a funny feeling

Edwin must have been the only one to see Kendra run out of the room. In a way he felt bad for her (just a little). It was obvious that she was still in love with Derek; why else would she run out of the room when he proposed to someone else? For a split second, he thought about running after her and trying to cheer her up. However that thought fled quickly once he looked over at the happy couple. Derek sure looked ecstatic that Casey had said yes. But why wouldn't he be? He's been in love with her since…Edwin thought about it…well since the day she moved in.

"Smart move." Lizzie said as she came over to be with Edwin. "Proposing to her in front of hundreds of people. How can anyone turn down a proposal like that and not look heartless."

"Uh…Liz…you okay?" he asked. He couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or if she was serious. "You know how hard it is for Derek to show any kind of P.D.A. I think this was the perfect way for him to do it."

"Of course it was!" she said playfully as she hit him on the arm. "I was kidding about the heartless thing! Geez, don't you think I'm happy for my sister?" looking over to Casey and Derek she said "Aww look how happy they are"

Edwin turned toward the stage and saw them. Casey was blushing furiously-turning five different shades of red-and Derek looked slightly nervous. They were staring at each other now. Eyes locked and bodies unconsciously moving closer to each other. Their hands were intertwined and Edwin couldn't help but notice they both were smiling. Derek leaned forward. Closer… and closer…

"_C'mon Derek; you can do it!"_ Edwin thought.

"Wasn't that sweet ladies and gentleman!" Sheldon- completely clueless about what had almost happened- shouted into the microphone. Sheldon couldn't see it, but Lizzie and Edwin had a clear view of Casey and Derek glaring at the back of his head. Feeling tension at the back of his neck, Sheldon shakily continued, "H…how about a s…song to celebrate!" he signaled the DJ as Derek lead Casey off of the stage an onto the dance floor.

The DJ put a ballot on, but Edwin didn't pay much attention to it. He was suddenly concerned with this lump in his throat, and the realization that Lizzie had her head on his shoulder, and their fingers were interlocked. _"Man she smells good,"_ He thought lazily as his eyes closed slowly. He took a deep breath and tried to decipher what the smell was. It was a mix between honey, strawberries, lavender and grapefruit.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Lizzie jerking his arm back and forth. When he fully snapped out of his trance, he turned his head to look at her. There was something different about her tonight; she looked beautiful. Not that she didn't look beautiful all of the time; Edwin always thought she looked amazing. There was just something he couldn't explain. Maybe it was the floor length blue dress she was wearing. Maybe it was her hair; not in its usual style, but instead in a high bun with jewels pinned and clipped all around, and her bangs hanging loosely to frame her face. Maybe it was the way she smelled. Maybe it was Derek's proposal to Casey. Whatever it was something about her was different tonight. A chorus of "oohs" and claps let Edwin know that Derek and Casey had finally kissed. But he was more interested in Lizzie's lips, which seemed to be forming words that he hadn't heard.

"Do you want to dance?" Lizzie asked again. She looked so hopeful. So different from that girl a few years ago who would run every time anyone would mention the word 'dance'. His mouth went very dry all of a sudden and he couldn't talk. Lizzie looked back at him apprehensively, almost like she thought it was a mistake to ask him.

"_Say 'yes' you idiot"_ he mentally scalded himself as he saw her fidget and self-consciously chew on her lower lip. _"C'mon, c'mon, you can do it…"_ the longer he took to reply the more nervous she got. _"Just say it!!"_ he mentally scalded himself. "Yes you idiot!" he blurted out.

Lizzie stared at him shocked for a moment. "Did…did you just…" she shook her head. "Did you just call me an 'idiot'!"

"Uhh…NO! Of course not… I was talking to myself." He stammered. "And of course I would love to dance with you."

"Good" she said as she lead him to the middle of the floor. The DJ played another slow song, and before he knew it, Edwin and Lizzie were staring at each other in the middle of the dance floor. "So…are we just gonna stand here? Or are we gonna dance?" she asked playfully.

"Yeah" he said as he placed his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck and they both started swaying side to side. Every now and then Edwin would spin her, and every once in a while- whenever he got the urge to- he would dip her. They were facing each other now. Just gazing into the others eyes. It seemed to him that they were the only two in the room. It was like he was in a trance, and he only wanted to be closer to her. His eyes were willing her to come closer.

As if on cue, Lizzie leaned forward. Their lips met for what felt like an eternity. Edwin was in heaven, his stomach was doing flip-flops, and he could have sworn that either the earth shook or lightning passed through him once their lips met. He didn't know exactly what he was feeling, but he did know that he didn't want it to end.

_I got a funny feeling_

_The moment that your lips touched mine_

_Something shot right through me_

_My heart skipped a beat in time_

Lizzie pulled away. An involuntary whimper escaped his lips, and when he looked at Lizzie, she was blushing furiously. They continued to dance, both lost in their own worlds to notice what the DJ was playing, or what the other people around them were doing. "Umm…Lizzie" he hesitated, not quite sure what to say.

"Yeah?" she asked hesitantly. _"Oh no! Maybe it was a mistake to kiss him…" _she started to chew her lower lip. _"It felt like he enjoyed it…and its not like he has no idea that I like him. And I know he likes me, so why does he keep pretending?"_ she thought anxiously as she looked at him.

"What was that for?" he asked, still holding her tight. He saw her start to reply but he didn't pay attention. _"Hmm…she smells so good. I just wanna take her out to the park and roll around in the flowers, or maybe we should run around in the rain…that would be cool, we would both be soaking wet, and then latter we could go inside and have hot chocolate!...what the hell am I thinking?"_ he shook his head to clear it.

"Are you okay?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," he said. "Why?"

"You just seem a little distracted"

"Yeah by you"

_There's a different feel about you tonight_

_It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things_

_I even think I saw a flash of light_

_It felt like electricity_

"_Did I just say that out loud?"_ he thought. Lizzie's smile got wider and before he knew it she had leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"So, I'm a distraction" she said playfully.

"_Crap!"_

"What about me…distracts you the most?" she asked. Edwin couldn't help but notice the evil glint in her eyes.

"Well…" he gulped. "Well…umm…Well tonight…ugh." He stammered. This was going to be harder than he thought. "The way you smell for one thing. I mean not that you smell bad or anything…its just…that smell is amazing, and I can't figure out what it is…then there's the way you look tonight. You look amazing…not that you don't look great every day, its just…" he was babbling now and he knew it, but for some reason he couldn't stop. "I mean I always think you look amazing, then there's your hair, and then you kissed me and well _that_ was ama-"

Lizzie had placed her finger over his lips to stop his rambling. "Edwin! Just shut up and kiss me!" she ordered.

_You shouldn't kiss me like this_

_Unless you mean it like that_

_Cause I'll just close my eyes_

_And I won't know where I'm at_

_We'll get lost on this dance floor_

_Spinnin' around_

_And around_

_And around_

_And around_

Casey had looked up from over Derek's shoulder. The song was almost over anyway, and she was still in shock about being proposed to, but was slowly getting accustomed to the idea. She looked over and saw Emily beaming. She continued to stare at her when she noticed Emily was pointing to the right and mouthing "over there". Casey looked in the direction that Emily was pointing in, and when she saw what had Emily so excited, she couldn't help but smile. There in the center of the room was her baby sister and Edwin; kissing! "Aww" Casey said at the same time the song ended.

"What is it Case?" Derek asked. He looked at her and she told him to turn around. As soon as he did he saw his little brother and Lizzie engaged in a serious lip lock. "Well it's about time!" before long, everyone had stopped whatever he or she was doing to stare at the couple dancing.

_They're all watchin' us now_

_They think we're falling in love_

_They never believed we're just friends_

_When you kiss me like this_

_I think you mean it like that_

_If you do baby kiss me again_

"You know, I always knew they'd make a cute couple," Emily told Sheldon as they watched Lizzie and Edwin continue to dance long after the music had stopped playing.

"Yeah, they would make a cute couple, but I talked to Edwin the other day and he said they were just friends" Sheldon informed her.

"Oh come on!" Emily insisted. "Since when do friends kiss like that? They haven't taken a break in five minutes."

_Everybody swears we make the perfect pair_

_But dancing is as far as it goes_

_Girl you've never moved me quite_

_The way you moved me tonight_

_I just wanted you to know_

_I just wanted you to know_

Once Edwin and Lizzie pulled away from each other the crowed erupted in cheers. Edwin turned around, his face beet red. He looked over at Derek who was giving him the thumbs up sign. He also had a huge goofy grin on his face. Somewhere in the distance he heard a woman say "Oh they are just too cute together!"

"Lets go outside," Lizzie said as she grabbed his arm. "So we can talk". Edwin obliged and allowed her to drag him out of the room. On the way out he felt all eyes follow them, then shift back into the room as the DJ played another song.

It was dark outside. The cool crisp air nipped at their noses, and they huddled close together. The full moon accompanied by hundreds of stars was also present in the clear night. Lizzie noticed that the silence between them was starting to become uncomfortable, and decided to break the ice. "So, um… are we still 'just friends'?" she asked nervously. Edwin didn't respond for a while, but eventually he shook his head "no". She kissed him again.

_You shouldn't kiss me like this_

_Unless you mean it like that_

"So, if we're not 'just friends', then what are we?" she asked. "I mean we're step sibs, and we're kinda like best friends…is that alright with you? Because it isn't for me." There she had said it. And when she looked up at Edwin she noticed that his eyes were closed. Had he even heard her?

_Cause I'll just close my eyes_

_And I won't know where I'm at_

_We'll get lost on this dance floor_

_Spinnin' around_

_And around_

_And around_

_And around_

_They're all watchin' us now_

_They think we're falling in love_

_They'd never believed we're just friends_

"Edwin…?" she asked nervously. _"was it a mistake to kiss him tonight? Was it a mistake to tell him that I don't want to be 'just friends', or best friends anymore?"_ she thought. "Edwin…" she said in little more than a whisper. She was close to turning around and going back inside. She didn't know why he was taking so long to respond…maybe he didn't feel the same way she did. Maybe she misread the signs.

"I LOVE YOU!" Edwin blurted out.

"You…what?" she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"I love you Lizzie McDonald" he said. "I have alwa- "

Lizzie couldn't control herself. She threw her arms around him and kissed him again.

_When you kiss me like this_

_I think you mean it like that_

_If you do baby kiss me again_

_Kiss me again_

Edwin wrapped his arms around her, and held her close to him. "You think this can work?" he said into her hair.

"Do I think what can work?" she asked

"This us being together thing?"

"Well, it worked for Casey and Derek"


	4. Chapter 4

The clock seemed to be mocking the shocked silence in the room. _Tic, tic, tic, tic_. The only sound that the pair heard (aside from their own breathing) for what felt like an eternity.

"George, can you believe it?" Nora asked her husband as they sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. The natural light of the sun illuminated the kitchen, because both adults were in shock and neither could find the energy to turn on the light. But there was enough light that it didn't make a difference.

"No." He said earnestly. "No, I can't believe it at all." He said as he sipped his coffee and looked down at the invitation that lay between them.

"Who does this after six months?" Nora asked, pulling her bathrobe securely. Weather she was fidgeting in anticipation for the events of the day, or shock that the day had finally arrived; she couldn't tell.

George took another sip of coffee. "Well, to be fair Nora, it hasn't really been six months… try six years. And you know how Emily is with things like this."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" she responded. _Tic, tic, tic, tic…_

Just then they heard someone running down the stairs. Marti skidded into the kitchen, wearing a pink dress, and frantically looking for her heals, her long dark hair flowing behind her. She starred at her dad and step mom in disbelief, "You guys aren't dressed yet?!" she couldn't believe it. There wasn't much time left before they had to go. "Get dressed!" she ordered. "Come on, its WEDDING DAY!!!" she sounded exasperated.

OOOOOO

Emily was pleased. As made of honor she had taken her job very seriously. Everything had been going to plan (everyone was finally here), there were 500 daisies scattered thought the church, and the groom and best man were at their stations. All the bridesmaids were dressed in their pink strapless dresses, and every-ones hair was done. Well everyone except for Marti. George and Nora had gotten to the church late, and were now looking for their seats. "Ok Marti, we're almost done, lets do your makeup, and then we can send you down the isle." Emily said as she spun Marti around in the chair. Once she finished Marti's makeup, everyone took their positions.

She walked over to Casey, "You ready?" she asked. Casey shook her head 'no'. Emily chuckled. "C'mon Casey, you've been ready for years, this is just a little step to the rest of your life."

Casey nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah you're right Em. I'm just a little nervous."

_The day's finally here,_

_There's flowers everywhere._

_The guests are waitin' with sweet anticipation._

"And plus…think about that thing you've been waiting to do…" Casey looked at her, confused for a moment. When Emily say a hint of recognition in her eyes she continued. "On your _wedding night_…" she trailed off. Casey started to blush.

"Lets do this" she finally said. Emily went over to the doors and signaled the organ player.

_As I look down the aisle,_

_The preacher stops an' smiles._

_Church bells are ringin' an' the organ is playin'._

Emily took her place at the side of the alter. She looked over to Sam and Derek and couldn't help but smile. This was it, after today every-ones lives were going to change. Derek looked cute, all nervous and fidgety.

_I'm so overcome that I could cry._

_I'm so happy I'm not the bride._

"You have the ring right" he asked Sam. He was already nervous enough, and if Sam had lost the ring he was going to have a nervous breakdown.

"Of course I have the ring…" he said while checking his breast pocket. No ring. Derek was looking at him expectantly. He watched as the bridesmaids all came down the isle. "Uh, give me a minute…" he said. He began to frantically search all of his pockets, while trying to avoid Derek's death glare.

Derek was beginning to freak- he was running out of bridesmaids here and at any moment Casey was going to walk down that isle. Beads of sweat began to form on his brow. "Here it is." Sam said relieved when he found it in his back pocket.

Emily watched the whole thing from her side of the alter. She couldn't help but smile to herself. "Look, here comes Casey" she whispered to Lizzie.

_She's such a pretty thing,_

_She don't know anythin':_

_Ain't gonna tell her that she's outta her mind._

Casey looked beautiful coming down the isle, George at her side. _"Wasn't this what me and Derek were talking about last night? How beautiful Casey was going to look today… along with other things."_ She mused as Casey made the long trip up the isle. Last night, Emily needed closure on her relationship with Derek. It had been an emotional rollercoaster. She had 'loved' him since she was in grade school. But he had never given her the time of day until sometime in high school. But all that changed once George met Nora, and she and the girls moved in. _' "You've always been in love with Casey. I knew that even when we dated for three weeks in high school." She had told him. He looked at her with a look of sympathy on his face. "Don't worry I wasn't upset or anything when you left me for Kendra. I knew we were resigned to the same fate: to be in love with you when the whole time you were in love with someone else. I just want to know if I meant anything to you." She asked._

_Derek cleared his throat. "Of course you did Em'." He said as he tried to reassure her. He was telling the truth his brief relationship with Emily had meant something to him. He did care for her, but not in the same way he had for Casey the moment he met her. "You were a good friend to me, you even made me feel guilty about hurting other peoples feelings. You know how I was in high school. If it makes you feel any better; you were my first real relationship" _Casey had finally made it over to Emily's side. She and Derek were looking at each other like they were the only ones in the room.

_The preacher asks the question:_

_No, I got no objection._

_I do, I do; I want him out of my life._

"_Maybe with Derek finally marrying Casey, I can forget about him."_ She thought, as she heard the couple recite their vows. Casey had written a beautiful poem about finding true love. Derek had some strange comparison between her and Bacon. If you didn't know the couple (or Derek for that matter) you would have thought it odd.

"I now pronounce you: Man and Wife, you may kiss the bride." The crowd erupted in cheers.

_Throw the rice an' let those white doves fly:_

_Oh, happy day: I'm not the bride._

"Time to cut the cake!" George yelled as Casey and Derek placed themselves behind the cake. They took the knife together and started to slice the cake. One piece for Derek, one piece for Casey.

Casey noticed an evil glint in Derek's eye. "Oh, no. No. No. No. No." Derek had put his hand in his slice of chocolate cake. He had a good chunk on his fingers and smashed his hand in Casey's face.

She let out a puff of air, spitting out some chocolate. "DER-REK!!!!" she screamed. Then she grabbed her whole slice and shoved it in Derek's face. Some frosting fell off and she picked it up and threw it in his hair.

Before long, the whole bridal party was covered in cake. Emily had assumed something like this was going to happed, so she had ordered another cake.

_Eat some more cake,_

_Throw the bouquet,_

_Pass the champagne, it's time to celebrate._

_I'm gonna dance this night away,_

_Whoa, whoa, yeah._

By the time the reception was over, and it was time to meet at the Venturi house, Derek and Casey were both blissfully intoxicated. "I love you!" Derek said.

"I love you more." Casey said a bit louder.

"No I love you more" Derek shouted. George helped the couple move to the back seat of the car Sam had spray painted 'Just married' onto and had tied cans to the bumper.

_The groom is getting' loud,_

_His new wife starts to shout._

_Oh, this is perfect, it can only get better._

_They're fightin' in the car, off to a real good start._

_His momma's cryin'. Aren't they lovely together?_

_They're drivin' away, we're wavin' goodbye._

"Aren't you coming" Marti asked Emily as she got into Nora's car.

"I'll be by in a little bit." She said. "There's just something I have to do first." She said her goodbyes to the Venturis and turned towards the patch of grass by the lake. She took off her heels, ran thru the grass and rolled down the hill. Ruining her dress, but she didn't care much. For the first time in six months she was happy.

_Close call, relax, Amen, Hallelujah,_

_By the grace of God go I: I'm not the bride._

_Well, I'm not the bride._

_I'm free, I'm free, I'm free._

_I'm not the bride._

_Thank God!_


End file.
